Our lil' preschoolers

Andrew and Hailey are loving their time in preschool! It is a great program, and they have quickly gotten the hang of things. They get to ride trikes, read books, learn about God, paint, do all kinds of activities, go hiking outside, play in the playground, sing songs, eat snacks, and much more.

A week ago, we had a "field trip" to Kelsey Creek Park, our local hangout. The weather wasn't great, but we had a fun morning there doing activities and seeing the animals. The parents were able to attend, so I enjoyed getting time getting to know the class. Oh, and lil Gretty was ready to be a preschooler herself!

Greta's Stats

Greta had a check-in yesterday at the pediatrician, and here are her stats:

- Weight: 23 pounds, 1 ounce. This is 50-75% (just slightly above average)

- Height: 31.5 inches. This is 95% (this means she is very tall!!!)

Despite the fact that Greta is the chubbiest of the three kids, she is actually not that chunky according to the stats. Greg and I call her "thunderthighs", for good reason, but the doctor doesn't even think she looks chunky at all for a 14 month old. (Today Greta turns 14-months old!)

Greta is a joy in our lives. The twins are crazy about her, and are always giving her big squeezes, playing with her, and reading books to her. Grets is continuing to be a kleptomaniac, and is sure to relocate just about anything in the house that is 2 feet off the ground. (beware!) She loves to laugh, and says "dada" all day long. She and daddy have bonded a lot, especially during my disappearance to Minnnesota for 5 days! She is running everywhere and still believes that she can do anything that A&H can do. However, she can't really talk yet, and so she does a lot of pointing and squawking! We look forward to having her learn more words in the coming months.

We love you, Gretty!

First Day of Preschool!

The twins made it through their first day of preschool! They loved it! We feel so great about the program they are in, and I think they are just going to thrive there. The teachers are great and the facilities offer so much for the kids. In their room, they have books, cars, play-doh, dolls, paint, stamps/ink, reading area, blocks, math toys, and lots of other stuff, a sandbox, plus a multiple play areas outdoors. Each kid has a cubby with their photo, and so the kids got oriented today. Each day they do songs, circle time, outdoor time, snacks, etc.

I had Greta to myself from 9:00 to 11:30, but also spent time with my friend Sally, who has a son Luke in the same class as A&H. So fun! We are so blessed to have First Presbyterian Bellevue as both our home church and preschool.

Hailey found the "sticker table" right away!

I can't wait to have time with Greta all to myself for two mornings a week!

The new backpacks are great!

Daddy made a good breakfast before we got out the door this am...

On a related note, we had another "first" this week: new big kid beds! I found beautiful new wooden twin beds for the kids at Pottery Barn, and I finally got them put together and set up this last weekend. Andrew has cars on his comforter (of course!), and Hailey has a pink pattern. They love having big beds! Goodbye, cribs!

In Minnesota

Hailey and I just returned from a fabulous 4.5 day vacation to visit my family in Minnesota. Greg stayed home with Greta and Drew, and also got great assistance from having his mom Judy in town. (Thanks, Grandma!)

Hailey and I had so much fun together and I just treasured so much 1:1 time with her. We went to the Minnesota Zoo with my mom and Charlie, which was great. We did lots of playing, visiting the parks, reading books, going out to dinner, and such; and Nana spoiled us rotten! I loved having so much extra sleep time!

Then we drove to our family cabin to spend 2 days with my dad and Katie... we had a lot of rain, but still managed to get in some time on the boat and the paddleboat, and walking. Hailey also got to do good activities with Mimi Kate, such as making homemade ice cream, filling the hummingbird feeder, and making pancakes. The highlight, however, was visit the world famous Trembley's Candy Shop in Hayward, where Hailey got to pick out a small basket of goodies. Oh... she loved that! She was a great traveler, and loved the airplane ride.

Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible for us! I loved being back in my home town!